Former Premier League player, Chris Sutton has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo should be held responsible for Portugal’s exit from the FIFA World Cup.
Sutton expressed his criticism of Ronaldo during the BBC’s coverage of the match between Portugal and Spain.
The ex-footballer asserted that the Al-Nassr player ‘did nothing’ during Monday’s game, characterizing his performance as that of a ‘grandad’.
Spain scored late in the match through Mikel Merino, securing their place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Portugal found it difficult to create any significant scoring opportunities during the game, and while many might attribute the team’s poor performance to the collective effort, Sutton directed the blame towards the 41-year-old forward who is nearing retirement.
“Your centre forward has to move, he has to contribute, he has to press, he has to have variation in his play and he doesn’t. He’s waddling around the field like a grandad, that’s why Portugal are out,” Sutton said on BBC.
He went on, “Cristiano Ronaldo does nothing; he did nothing. There are some brilliant players in that Portuguese team who will feel this World Cup for them was a complete waste of time.”
Amid the criticism, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward was Portugal’s top scorer at the 2026 World Cup with three goals.